To Catch A Mermaid

Selfers, Suzanne. 2007. To Catch a Mermaid. Little, Brown Young Readers. 246 pages.

This is a quirky little book great for fourth to sixth graders (ish). Here's how it starts off, "Boom Broom awoke to find his little sister, Mertyle, looking for spots. 'It's a good day for spots,' she announced, examining her knobby knees with a magnifying glass. The Broom family is a mess. Ever since Mrs. Broom (good-old mom) was blown away by a freak twister, the family has been following to pieces. Mr. Broom has quit painting. Which means he's stopped selling his paintings. Which means their in financial stress. Mertyle, the little sister, hasn't left the house since the accident. (Not that Mr. Broom has much either. In fact, he seems to be stuck to hiding in the attic and/or closets.) Boom Broom has been trying to manage himself--with only a little help from their Viking cook, Halvor, but the Brooms are far from happy.

One day when Boom is supposed to be bringing home a fresh fish to eat for supper--Halvor loves fish--he brings home a freebie reject fish instead. This 'fish' turns out to be a merbaby. A wild, squealing, ugly as all get out, merbaby. And this one little act will set the course for a quirky and odd adventure that will either be the catalyst for great change (and happiness) or doom them all with an ancient curse.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers